Life-boat



2.SheetsSheet 2.

G. BLUEMGKE.

(No Model.)

LIFE BOAT.

No. 544,608. Patented-Aug. 13, 1895.

WITN ESSES INVENTOR: deorye Bluemcke.

BY x ATTOR EYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT I OFFICE.

GEORGE BLUEMOKE, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

LIFE-BOAT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 544,608, dated August 13, 1895.

Application filed March 28, 1895.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatI, GEORGE BLUEMcKma citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Life-Boats, of which the'following is a specification.

The object of thisinvention is to provide a life-boat which is adapted to carry one or more persons, and which can be folded up and stored away in a comparatively small space when not in use.

The peculiar and novel construction of my life-boat is pointed out in the following specification and claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a longitudinal vertical section of the framework of mylife-boat when expanded and ready for use, the plane of section being indicated by the line 00, Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a plan or top View. Fig. 3is a transverse section of the same in the plane y y, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a similar section showing also the waterproof and buoyant outside covering of the framework. Fig. 5 is a horizontal longitudinal section in the plane 2 z, Fig. 1, on a larger scale than the previous figures. Fig. 6 is a vertical section of a modification 0f the mechanism for expanding and closing up the boat. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the framework of the boat when folded up. Fig. 8 is a plan or top view of the same. Fig. 9 is a transverse vertical section in the plane to to, Fig. 7. Fig. 10 isa transverse vertical section in the plane 1: n, Fig. 7.

In the drawings, the letter A designates the keel, which is made of a stiff bar of iron or steel, and to one end of which is firmly secured the stem B, while to its opposite end is firmly secured the stern-post 0. With the stem is combined an elastic supplementary stem 11, and with the stern-post is combined an elastic supplementary stern-post 13. (Best seen in Figs. 7-' and 8.) Between the stem 13 and the stern-post C are situated a series of ribs 14 15, which are elastic and preferably made of narrow strips of sheet-steel. They extend from the keel in opposite directions and are connected to the same by hinge-joints 16 17. (Best seenin Figs. 3 and 9.) The ribs 14 extend through guides 18 19, which are secured or formed on elastic bars 20 21, which Serial No. 543,552. (No model.)

. are connected at their front ends by means of hinge-joints 22 to the supplementary stem 11 and at their rear ends by means of hingejoints 23 to the elastic supplementary sternpost 13. The elastic supplementary stem 11 is provided with pins 24, which extend through holes in the upper end of the stem B, and the elastic supplementary stern-post 13 is provided with pins 25, which extend through holes in the upper part of the sternpost 0. The object ofthese pins 24 25 is to steady the elastic portions 11 and 13.

v D is a fiat plate, best made of sheet metal, and intended to form the seat for the occupant or occupants of the life-boat. This seat is guided by rods 26, which are secured at their bottom ends in the keel A and at their upper ends in plates 27, which are secured to uprights 28, Fig. 10, firmly fastened to the keel A. When the boat is closed up, Figs. 7, 8, 9, and 10, the seat D slides up on the rods 26, and when the boat is expanded for use,

Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, the seat slides down to the position shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 4, and it is locked in this position by any suitable means, For this purpose pins 29 can be used which are inserted into holes 30, Fig. 10, provided for that purpose, or the rods 26 may be provided with screw-threads and made to engage corresponding screw-threads in the seat, (see Fig. 6,) so that by turning these screwrods in-one direction the seat is depressed and by turning them in the opposite direction the seat is raised.

The seat D is connected to the ribs 14 15 by means of braces 31 32, (best seen in Fig. 9,) which are connected to the seat by hingejoints 33 34 and to the ribs by hinge-joints 35 36. When the boatis folded up, these braces occupy nearly upright positions, Figs. 7 and 9, but when the seat D is depressed the braces 31 32 are gradually forced outward and the ribs 14 15 are spread open to the position shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4. In order to retain the boat firmly in this latter position, rigid bars 37 are used, the ends of which are hookshaped and engage eyes 38, secured to some of the ribs 14 15. The braces 31 32 are made telescopic, so that they can extend when the boat is folded and' contract when the boat is unfolded. From the stem B and the sternpost 0 project bars 39 40, respectively, which are bent downward and secured in the keel A. These bars serve as additional guides for the seat D and they increase the strength of the boat.

With the framework of my boat is combined a Water-tight flexible covering E, which may be made of one or more layers of sailcloth and an outside layer oi india-rubber. This covering (see Fig. 4) is provided with an aperture F, through which a person can reach the seat D when the boat is expanded. The edges of the aperture F are formed into a jacket G, provided with sleeves H H, a neckband I, and buttonflaps J, so that when the person occupying the seat passes his or her arms through the sleeves H H and buttons up the flaps J the aperture F is tightly closed and the body of the person is protected, leaving the head only projecting above neckband I.

On the upper portion of the covering E is firmly secured a broad belt K, of cork or other buoyant material, which is intended to increase the buoyancy of the boat and to prevent the same from capsizing.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A life-boat the framing of which is composed of a keel of practically rigid material, a stem and a stern post of practically rigid material firmly secured to the keel, a supplementary stem and stern post of elastic material firmly secured to the keel, a series of elastic ribs secured to the keel between the stem and the stern post, a series of longitudinal elastic side bars provided with eyes to engage the ribs and connected at their ends with the supplementary stem and stern post, two upright standards firmly secured to the keel, a seat guided by said standards and constructed to move up and down on the same and braces hinged at their inner ends to the seat and at their outer ends to the elastic ribs substantially as described.

2. The combination with the keel A, the stem B and the stern post 0 of a supplementary stem 11 provided with guides 24 which engage the stem B and of a supplementary stern post 13 provided with guides 25 which engage the stern post 0 substantially as described.

In testimony whercof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE BLUEMOKE.

Witnesses:

WM. 0. I'IAUFF, E. F. KASTENHUBER. 

